condo board nightmare

So long story short. Our RE listing said washer dryer when we bought and the hook up is here but they are telling us know we cannot get one since it was not 'grandfathered' in. The laundry room in our building one day wrecked of pee and s*** due to the tenant above not maintining their br and you can imagine the smell in the laundry room. Absolutely disgusting-we refuse to use this and have continued to complain.

They have claimed they have social services involved to get this person out but i think this is BS-who can i contact? Health department? the town? They also claim they have a cleaning service come weekly to maintain the laundry room which i think is also bs since i have never seen anyone there.

Any advice? The main thing is that we want a washer/dryer in our unit.

Re: condo board nightmare

I would go back to the listing and the "false" pretences that you bought this unit under the assumption that there would be a washer/dryer in unit. The connections are there. They should have remove the connections before.

Is it just YOUR unit or nobody else can have a washer and dryer?

If everybody else has them in their unit and it's not in the 500 pages board rule manual (which you should have read!) then I would fight it.

Message edited 6/5/2011 6:53:30 AM.

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silly ?, bc i really dont know how it works..but if you put it in by yourself..would they know? they cant come in and check, right?

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it does not state that we cant have one in the bylaws-only that if you want to add an appliance that utilized a water supply you have to have it approved by the board. We would have just put it in except for the fact that there is a board member who lives under us and he is the problem.

They cant seem to give us an explanation of why we cant have one just that it wasn't grandfathered in.

Does anyone have experience fighting with the board in such a situation? We really do not want to have to hire an attorney for this.

Thanks!

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Also one more question-does the board or the management company have to approve the real estate listing for a condo?

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Maybe I am missing something, but isn't this something that should have been specifically in your contract upon closing?

I personally would not go by something on a RE "listing".

I know on our RE listing it said "water rights". All that translates to is that we live within walking distance of the water, and could rent a spot if we wanted a place to park a boat.

I know this is probably not the answer you are looking for, but as a homeowner, you MUST review the contract and any questions you have..........that's what you pay your attorney for.

I know when we bought, the appliances obviously were something we were concerned about, like most homeowners are.

Also, you can't control who else is going to be in the building with you, so if that's an issue, you probably should have thought about that too before buying in a condo community.

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Do you have your request and reply in writing? I am not exactly sure "what" is grandfathered in. A grandfather clause would be in the bylaws. Are you saying that anytime you need to replace an appliance (ie. dishwasher) you need board approval to get the applicance or just to ensure that it is energy rated? What is your appeal process with the board? I am surprised that the previous owners didnt let you keep the washer/dryer in the first place.

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I would put it in anyway.

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Yes, i have both our letter and their reply. There is no grandfather clause in the bylaws and we never receive anything in writing prior to moving in that it was not grandfathered in.

We bought from an old lady that had passed away and while the hookup is here she never put a washer/dryer in the unit. Since it was not previously here they are now saying we cant have it since we are new owners. We are also trying to use the laundry facility on site as leverage since there have been tons of problems there. We are not sure how the condo board works though and anyone who has advice on this i would be happy to take it. Thanks to those of you who are offering me much needed advice and not criticism! Greatly appreciated!

Re: condo board nightmare

I'm not trying to "criticize" you, but honestly, it's going to be tough fighting many a condo board for things like this.

I know the trend on here though is that if a poster is given an honest answer that they don't want to hear, they think this way.

For someone who also works with many disabled clients, it also is extremely hard to get them (or any tenant really!) out of a building, which is why I responded to that comment you made as well.

Everyone has rights and it gets even more sticky when you have one of these condo boards involved.

Re: condo board nightmare

thats ok...if you enjoy bullying people on here since you feel safe behind your computer....go for it!!

Re: condo board nightmare

'K. Guess the social worker on the boards is a BIG OLE BULLY.





I'm used to it though IRL when I tell people what they don't want to hear.

Won't be the first time, and won't be the last. ;).

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Message edited 6/5/2011 5:51:11 PM.

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While I know the example I used was not the greatest, my point was that in a condo especially you need to know these things before buying.

A RE listing is going to post all kinds of things to get people interested.

I know on this site though we aren't allowed to say that to people that learn these things after the fact.



Anyways.......

It's an unfortunate situation to be in, and I agree that getting an attorney would probably be in your best interest OP in dealing with the REAL bullies........the board of your condo.......not anyone on "LIF".

Re: condo board nightmare

You might need an atty to write a letter regarding the washer/dryer. I think there's enough ambiguity in the listing and the by-laws that they might reconsider but be prepared for another no.

I don't know that they'll be able to get that guy out. He owns the property and other then slapping him with fines or bills for damage, there's not much they can do. There was a similar situation in my co-op building with an older man that was unable to take care of himself or his apartment. It was impossible to get him out of the building legally. Eventually his son stepped in and moved him to a nursing home or something. But it was their choice to leave and not because of anything the board or mgmt company did to get him out.


Good luck!